Tag Archives: Long hair

What are the active ingredients in FAST Shampoo and Conditioner?

FAST contain Cystine, cysteine and methionine which are sulfur containing amino acids. Over 90% of the dry weight of hair comprises proteins called keratins, which have high disulfide content, from the amino acid cysteine. Methionine is able to strengthen the structure of hair and nails.

A published study, resulting from a dermatology congress in Florence in 2006, found that the amount of hair found to be in the Anagen growth phase was significantly higher in a group of people who had taken methionine as part of an amino acid and vitamin B complex combination treatment than a control group which had taken nothing.

Biotin or vitamin B7 is part of the B-complex vitamins. Biotin is also called Vitamin H, “H” coming from the German word “Haar and Haut” meaning hair and skin. Biotin is often recommended for strengthening hair and nails.

Panthenol is the biological active alcohol analog of pantothenic acid or vitamin B5, a member of the B-complex vitamins. Due to its conversion to pantothenic acid in the skin and hair, its commonly used name is Provitamin B5.

The main function of panthenol in hair care is its long lasting moisturizing effects. Panthenol has strong deposition onto the cuticle and deeply penetrates the cortex of a hair. Since panthenol penetrates into hair and improves its ability to regulate its moisture content, it increases its resistance to damage and brittleness.

Inositol is found in many foods, especially in fruits. It plays an important role in the health of cell membranes. For hair, Inositol is said to promote healthy hair and hair growth, according to some reports, Inositol strengthens the cells of the hair helping it to retain moisture.

Tocopheryl Acetate or Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin that is known for its anti-oxidant properties. Tocopheryl acetate does not get oxidized in the skin, where about 5% is converted to free tocopherol and provides beneficial antioxidant effects.

Keeping Your Hair Healthy

tips_for_healthy_hairWe all want to have healthy and beautiful hair. Our hair reflects a lot about one’s personality, you can actually express yourself just by the way you style your hair. Women have the advantage with this, especially with those who have long hair, as compared to the majority of men who have shorter hair.

Unfortunately, there are times when our hair becomes dull and lifeless. One reason could be due to hair styling, we always fix up our hair before we get out for our homes, right? Of course, none of us want go out without looking good. Sadly, the very thing that can beautify our hair can actually damage it.

Heat is probably the most damaging styling technique to hair. Hot ceramic plates, heat curlers or blow driers can wreck havoc to hair because it vaporize the little moisture hair holds, leaving hair dry, dull and prone to breakage. The best way to counter hair damage due to heat styling is to stop using it or as much as possible use it only on special occasions.

Certain hair styles can also damage hair or worse can cause patchy hair loss. Hair styles that involve the pulling of the hair like a bun, pony tails or pig tails. These hair styles don’t actually cause any problems, as long as it is not too tight, doing so can put a lot of stress on the hair leading to breakage or hair being pulled off directly from the roots causing hair loss. As stated earlier, it is best not to put on these hair styles too tight.

Sometimes hair becomes unhealthy, dull and dry due to our diet. Hair producing cells are considered on of the fastest growing cells in the body, so it needs a constant supply of nutrients to produce healthy hair. If you’re on diet, better not practice the low protein regime, because protein is vital for hair since this what hair is practically made of.  

3 Nutrients For Beautiful and Strong Hair Growth

hairWe all want to our hair to look beautiful for work, school, parties, etc. Your hair is the first thing people see, so it’s important to keep your hair looking beautiful and healthy. This is very true, especially for women, who feel proud and confident if they have really soft and silky long hair.

But it seems a lot of women are having trouble taking care of their hair. Some will mention that their hair just stopped growing. Others will say that their hair is so dull and dry, and have done everything they could but still won’t grow an inch.

In reality, it isn’t difficult to take care of our hair. Learning what the hair needs is the key to beautiful and healthy hair growth.

Protein

Having a well balanced diet is not only good for your body; it’s good for your hair too. But what is important for hair is protein. Our hair is mostly made up of a protein called keratin, so it is important to consume the right amounts of protein in a daily basis.

Vitamin B7

Vitamins are very important because they help the body metabolize food efficiently. Also they have specific roles in the body, that’s why if we consume less or more of a certain vitamin there is a corresponding illness to it.

For hair, Biotin or vitamin B7 helps hair by making the strands strong; thus, minimizes hair breakage. It is important to mention that biotin needs to be applied directly to hair for its benefits. There are a lot of writings in the internet about consuming mega doses of this vitamin to stimulate healthy hair growth, this is absolutely false and as stated above, too much biotin can cause toxicity.

Vitamin B5

Vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid or popularly known as pro-vitamin B5 makes hair really soft, shinny, and slippery. This makes combing really easy as it prevents hair tangles, thus, preventing hair breakage. Vitamin B5, like Biotin, need to be applied directly to the hair and scalp.

 

Healthy Hair Growth Tips for Women

healthy hair growthHaving really thick and long hair is considered to be a symbol of beauty for women, they don’t call it their “crowning glory” for nothing. Women dream of having lusciously long beautiful hair and of course healthy hair growth.

Unfortunately, many women will experience an increase in hair loss by the age of 40. This could substantially lead to dull, weak and brittle hair. Also generalized hair thinning can occur and worst of all: hair loss. There are a lot of factors that can cause hair loss such as: stress, environmental factors, aging, hormonal changes, use of wrong hair products and constant use of heat styling.

Typically, hair fall ranges from 80 to 100 hair strands a day. Amazingly, this is normal, increased hair fall is considered only if you lose more than 100 hair strands a day.

Also, a lot of women sometimes feel that their hair isn’t growing, they complain that their hair never grow longer beyond a certain point, like the shoulder for example. The fact is, our hair never stops growing, the problem encountered here is hair breakage.

Fortunatel, there are things you can do to keep your hair growing healthy and prevent hair loss and hair breakage. Knowledge is the key, and knowing how to take care of your hair will reward you with beautiful hair.

Good Nutrition

If you want to have healthy growing hair, good nutrition is vital. Providing all the nutrients the body needs is not only good for your health, it’s good for your hair too. Our hair mostly made up of protein, so it is important to consume the right amounts of protein daily.

Vitamins For Hair

The so called “hair vitamins” are: biotin and pantothenic acid. Biotin helps in strengthening the hair preventing hair breakage. Pantothenic acid makes the hair very slippery and shinny,preventing tangles while combing or brushing.

How To Prevent Slow Hair Growth

hair growth

Hair producing cells are the second fastest growing cells in the body, first being the intestinal cells. Normally, your hair grows about half an inch per month. Depending on how you take care of your hair, you can increase or even decrease hair growth.

Yes, hair growth is dependent on a lot factors and what’s great about this is you can manipulate your hair to grow fast or even grow slow. The following can affect your hair growth by slowing it down:

Heat Styling

Using heat is the easiest way to style hair. The occasional use of heat styling tools is fine. But if extreme heat is used daily, this could wreak havoc on your hair. Straightening ceramic irons, heat curlers and blow driers can literally vaporize the moisture in your hair, making it dull, dry and brittle.  It is advisable to heat style your hair only on special occasions.

Hair Dye

It is common for women to colour their hair on a regular basis. But if you constantly dye your hair, the chemicals used in these dyes can damage your hair. Regular hair dyes use strong chemicals to strip off the natural colour of your hair, making it lighter. Then the actual colour is applied which is absorbed by hair. This is fine if carried out infrequently, but if done regularly, hair will become brittle due to chemical burns. Alternatively, you can use natural hair dyes like henna. These dyes may not last long but they won’t damage your hair.

No Narrow Tooth Combs

If you have really thick and long hair, throw away those narrow tooth combs and use wide ones instead. Narrow tooth combs can cause tangles which can damage and break hair. It is also good to invest in combs or brushes that prevents tangles because hair breakage can really slow down hair growth.